Tren de las Nubes
Encyclopedia
Salta Province
Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, that connects the Argentine Northwest
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest is a region of Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.-Geography:The region had 5 different biomes:* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east...
with the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an border in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
mountain range, over 4220 metres (13,845.1 ft) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, the third highest railway in the world. Originally built for economic and social reasons, it is now primarily of interest to tourists as a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
. The service runs along the C-14 line
Main line (railway)
The Mainline or Main line of a railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system from which branch lines, yards, sidings and spurs are connected....
of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano
Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano
Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano , named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
.
The railway line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 spirals
Spiral (railway)
A spiral is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills.A railway spiral rises on a steady curve until it has completed a loop, passing over itself as it gains height, allowing the railway to gain vertical elevation in a relatively short horizontal distance...
and 2 zigzags
Zig Zag (railway)
A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...
. Because of the design decision not to use a rack-and-pinion for traction, the route had to be designed to avoid steep grades. The zigzags allow the train to climb up driving back and forth parallel to the slope of the mountain.
History
The construction of the railway started in 1921, to connect the North of Argentina with Chile across the Andes, and to serve the boraxBorax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
mines of the area. The viaduct La Polvorilla, the highest of the line, was finished on . The complete railway was inaugurated on , but it was not until the late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
that it started being visited by tourists. The route was designed by American engineer Richard Fontaine Maury, after whom one of the stations has been named.
The Tren a las Nubes today
After several years of refurbishing, the train was again open to the public on , it is operated by a private company named Ecotren.Currently, the train leaves Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
station for the 15-hour, 434 kilometres (269.7 mi) round trip to the viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
La Polvorilla, located 4220 m (13,845.1 ft) above sea level. The curved viaduct is 224 m (734.9 ft) long and 70 m (229.7 ft) high. Once the train has left Salta, it firstly enters the Valle de Lerma, and then the Quebrada del Toro, before reaching the puna
Altiplano
The Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
. It is known as the Train of the Clouds because clouds can often be seen around and under the bridges and slopes of the landscape through which the railway passes.
The 10-car train can carry 640 passengers at an average speed of 35 km/h (21.7 mph). The C-C diesel-electric General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
with 2475 HP has two triple-sets of powered axles for traction, weights of over 100 t (98.4 LT; 110.2 ST), and consumes around 6 l (1.6 US gal) of fuel for every 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi). The train, which stops only at San Antonio de los Cobres
San Antonio de los Cobres
San Antonio de los Cobres is a small town of population 4,274 in northwestern Argentina. It is the capital of the Los Andes Department of the Salta Province....
station for tourists to get off, see the town and buy local handicrafts, has a restaurant, folkloric events, and onboard medical facilities.
Stations
Following are the stations the train passes through; height above mean sea levelAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
(in meters) is provided:
- SaltaSaltaSalta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
(1,187) - Alvarado (1,207)
- Cerrillos (1,260)
- Rosario de Lerna (1,332)
- Campo Quijano (1,520)
- V. Toledo (1,587)
- El Alisal (1,806)
- Chorrillos (2,111)
- Ingeniero Maury (2,358)
- Gobernador Solá (2,550)
- Puerta De Tastil (2,675)
- Tacuara (3,036)
- Meseta (2,844)
- Diego de Almagro (3,503)
- Incahuasi (3,553)
- Cachinal (3,739)
- Muñano (3,952)
- Los Patos (3,842)
- San Antonio de los CobresSan Antonio de los CobresSan Antonio de los Cobres is a small town of population 4,274 in northwestern Argentina. It is the capital of the Los Andes Department of the Salta Province....
(3,774) - Mina Concordia (4,144)
- La Polvorilla (4,220)
See also
- List of heritage railways
- Southern Fuegian Railway (Tren del Fin del Mundo)
- Old Patagonian Express (La Trochita)La TrochitaLa Trochita, , in English known as the Old Patagonian Express, is a narrow gauge railway in Patagonia, Argentina using steam locomotives. The nickname La Trochita means literally "The Little Narrow Gauge" in Spanish...